The Role of Women in Ancient Greece & Rome

Women in ancient Rome got married at a very young age. So young, (the proper age was assumed to be 14) that the fathers arranged the marriages. Though the bride's consent was needed, it was not weighed nearly as much as the father's. The mother's opinion did not matter. The method of arrangement seems harsh and forced, but the main idea behind a Roman marriage is happiness. This is where the term, `romantic' came from. Romanticism is an idea based on the complete happiness of two people. The term actually involved all the parties involved in the happiness. The father, and mother (because she wanted to please her husband in whatever way possible), and the couple all were happy together, for the same reason. This is what made a Romantic marriage.

Fourteen may seem like a very young age for marriage...